Inclusive Action Group

Meeting 3

• Introduction
• Joint Projects – Sheffield City Council and Sensory Trust
• Site visit – Manor Deep Pits Park
• Site visit – Weston Park

Urban Parks discussion

Members engaged in a lively discussion about the potential issues involved in providing inclusive urban parks. James Friel, Black Environment Network, raised some interesting points on engaging users of space, and Richard Scott, Landlife, endorsed this view, by explaining that Landlife’s best messages are ones which bring people in directly to work with the environment e.g Landlife seed sowing events bring local communities together, providing a sense of ownership. Phil Chambers spoke about the preconceptions some people have about visiting spaces and the anxiety that can prevent them going to sites.

Overall it was felt that community involvement was the most powerful mechanism for getting the message over that public parks are spaces for people, and that they are the key factor in shaping decisions about park development.

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